Still a family
by coldcoffeestains
Summary: 'I sometimes forget that you're not that fifteen years old girl from that book party anymore, you're an adult now and I'm very proud of you.' Prompt fill for 8x02 XX.


**A/N:** My first prompt fill from castle fanfic promts on Tumblr.

 **Prompt:** Kate and Alexis reunion in 8x02 (Kate stays)

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 **Still a family**

She startles momentarily when she hears the soft knock on the other side of the door, not expecting anyone to come at that time of the day. She's been stacking papers and organizing manila folders for the past thirty minutes. When she looks up, the door is already opening, the visitor not waiting to be welcomed in.

Kate smiles at her the moment their eyes meet. She seems a little nervous maybe, the way she runs a hand through her hair. The fingers of her unoccupied hand are pressed to a spot on her ribs.

"Is it bad? Alexis asks when she's caught staring and Kate's hand falls away and hangs loosely at her side.

She shakes her head. "No, it's just a graze."

A silence stretches between them, it's not awkward but Alexis wonders what Kate is doing at the PI office at that time. Despite her declarations of being fine she knows that she must be in pain, strained from the past two days of being chased. She looks exhausted.

"What are you doing?" Kate asks after clearing her throat, her eyes are falling to the stacks on the table.

"Oh, just paperwork," Alexis explains on a chuckle while she puts the last folders away, turning all her attention to Kate. "Dad likes to leave a mess behind because, I quote, ' _Paperwork only hinders the brilliant crime fighting mastermind_ '."

Kate laughs with her. "Yeah, he only loves the cool stuff."

Alexis grands Kate a moment while she lets her gaze wander around the office, taking in the new gadgets. Her eyes sparkle when she sees something she finds interesting. A few hours ago she didn't really have time to look around.

"Kate," she says after a while when she seems to be in another world, her head somewhere else, both of them quiet for a little bit too long to make it not awkward anymore.

"Sorry," Kate falls down into one of the chairs behind the desk, Alexis takes a seat in the one next to her not on the other side. It feels weird sitting across from her right now. Alexis runs her hands over her skirt and looks at Kate. Kate fists the sleeves of her sweater a little too forcefully between her fingers. "Thank you, Alexis," she says and she looks sincere, her throat bobbing as she gulps. She's leaned forward a little, elbows propped up on her knees. They are angled towards each other.

"What for?" Alexis asks, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

"What for?" Kate looks stunned. "First of all, you are a brilliant investigator, you sure are your fathers daughter," her voice is light and she smiles widely at Alexis and she can't help but feel her lips stretching into a grin of her own.

"Yeah, it's fun, like puzzling. Just so much cooler."

Kate laughs at that, head thrown back a little as the dead grip on her sleeves looses a little. "It sure is." Kate's head bobs to the side, her laugh just a small smile anymore. "But I actually wanted to thank you for... for how you handled this situation, for convincing your father to trust in me."

Alexis is speechless for a moment, tangles a strand of her now shorter hair between two of her fingers. She's not sure how to answer that and opens her mouth once to say something without actual words coming out. Kate bites her lip, her gaze falls to her own fingers for a moment and Alexis notices the way she plays with the slim band of her wedding ring.

"He trusts you, you know, more than anything. That has nothing to do with me telling him." Kate's eyes shoot up at that and she nods.

"I know that, I do," a smile plasters her lips, one Alexis only sees when Kate is talking about her father, the one that made her accept her all those years ago, the one that tells her how much she loves her father. The one that makes her hope that someday she'll find someone who makes her smile like that, someone who looks at her the way her father looks at Kate. "But you know how he gets when he sets his mind onto something, how he doesn't back off. I... I can't really say what is going on, not in detail, not more than you already know but... all I did was just to protect him, to protect all of you. And you kept him grounded. So, thank you."

"Believe me, I tried to, it wasn't really working the way I–"

Kate reaches out a hand to lay it on Alexis' knee, gently squeezing, shaking her head at the same time. "You did a great job, really. I sometimes forget that you're not that fifteen year old girl from that book party anymore, you're an adult now and I'm very proud of you."

They're having a good relationship. They've had a bumpy road in the beginning but that's in the past. They all built their little family together, an unconventional at that, but still a family. Alexis wouldn't want to have it any other way. And still, they've never been quite that open in front of each other before.

"You're family Kate and I trust you. I may... I don't really agree with the way you handled this... because you know, he just wants you to be safe too. But I get it."

Silence falls over them again. Kate runs her hands over her face, pushes the hair that has fallen over her forehead back, a light tremble in her fingers.

"And... is it over now?" Alexis asks after a while. Kate sucks in a breath, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"There are people taking care of it, more powerful people," Kate explains at last, a determined look Alexis can't quite place beneath her surface. Still, there's something else on her face.

"You still look scared, though," Alexis decides then and she can see that Kate feels caught.

"No, not scared, just–" she shrugs her shoulders, "I'm just glad to be at a place where I can go home with you and not fall headfirst into a case." There's honesty in her eyes and a little pride maybe. She's angled more openly towards her, a new relaxation lingers in her body, making Alexis calm down in return.

"So you're not–" She starts nevertheless, not liking the way her voice is laced with insecurity.

"Hiding in the case and running away?" Kate asks as she reaches again for Alexis, this time squeezing her fingers in her hand. "No, not anymore. It's not easy but I'm done. There things worth living for." Alexis nods her her, believing. Because like she said before, she trusts her. She can see the glistering of tears behind Kate's eyes, clogging her own breath in her throat. It's been a long two days.

"So yeah, that's why I'm here. Didn't plan to get so emotional," Kate gets up with a laugh and pulls Alexis with her before he draws her in into a hug. She sinks into her step mothers body for a moment, embraces her gently, careful of the injury the bullet caused her.

"I'm glad you're okay, Kate," Alexis whispers into Kate's hair and she squeezes her tighter for a moment before they let go, step away from each other.

"So, home?" Alexis asks. "Dad said he's making dinner, he's probably waiting for us."

"Yeah, home," Kate says relieved.


End file.
